


Showering

by 61feathers



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: BL, Falling In Love, KeithxLance, Lance's dick, M/M, Massages, Shiros dick, klance, minor injury/gore, showering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 11:36:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8204806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/61feathers/pseuds/61feathers
Summary: “Thanks.” he bumped me with his stupid tanned shoulder until i couldn't stand it anymore. I whirled, turning away from him to go to my own fucking shower head because he was such a goddamn baby when it came to things like this. 	“Wait. Keith.” 	A hand. Suddenly. Gripping my wrist.  	“I’ll share. Cmon stand here with me.”	It made no sense. Not how he had acted before or how he was acting now. Not how i couldn't bring myself to look anywhere else besides down his chest and stomach and… and i figured it would be worse to try and meet his eyes but… staring at his dick? I shivered, bangs heavy and in my eyes and chin tilted down, trying not to punch him in the throat just because he was… OR - Keith and Lance bond over showering together.





	

Showering

 

It felt good to shower. No one ever disagreed with that. And after a long day of training and sweating and picking ourselves up off the ground it was the one thing that everyone looked forward to. Even if the showers were all together in one large, very round and very open room. Lined with deep grey-blue tile and the glow of blue-light running overhead, it had become a very comforting place for us. The familiar sound of space-water splashing down, its slightly metallic smell crisp and… surprisingly pleasant. 

For the first few weeks showering was an uncomfortable task that involved shy eyes and wandering brains. Hasty movements to get clean and get out as fast as we could so we didn't have to spend too much time with the chance of making eye contact. Pidge had always gone first because Shiro insisted that we give her privacy--that is until Pidge got fed up with the idea herself and decided just to make her own agenda.

She showered with the boys. Simple as that. All five foot of her. She insisted there was nothing to be ashamed of, or distracted by, or even uncomfortable with. And while everyone but Shiro had been okay with her decision, it turned out that she was completely right. No one showered awkwardly after that-- except for Hunk who would always try his best to keep his body turned just far enough away from everyone else that we’d never see his junk. No one minded. 

Shiro was closest to the shower room entrance, at the first showerhead that began a long line of shower heads in the circular room. He was strong, tall, rippling with water and muscle and scars and-- I guess it was worth mentioning that he put the rest of us to shame with the size of his… package. I tried not to look often, but when i did i caught myself rolling my eyes and thinking that there was just another reason why he was the leader of this team. The alpha, mentally, emotionally, and physically.. And all he ever had with him was a simple bar of soap. No sponge, no scrubber brush, no shampoo or liquid body wash. Just a solid, white bar of soap that he lathered himself with everywhere. 

It irritated me. But i figured the only rational reason as to why, was because i had to shower at the head next to him, and i had one of everything when it come to bathing. Pouf, body wash, shampoo AND conditioner. Razor… oh though it was rarely needed… small brush for scrubbing my fingernails or whatever if i really felt like it. 

I scowled. Taking a moment to look down the line on the other side of me. Pidge was at the next head, and then Hunk who was busy singing quietly about food goo into the spray. I huffed, running my hands through my hair once again and then reaching to turn the faucet off. I’d been done several minutes ago but everyone had seemed to linger in the warmth of the steamy room.

I looked past Hunk to the one shower head that I had never seen turned on before, and felt a bubbling anger inside of me. When i had said that everyone was okay with showering together, that everyone had gotten over the awkwardness of bathing, that everyone was totally fine being nude in front of each other… I had excluded Lance. Stupid Lance. 

Lance never, not once, had come to shower with us. Not even after Pidge had broken through to Shiro about it being totally fine for her to shower with the boys. Lance had always averted himself, saying “I don't stink. I don't need to shower!” or “I only shower in the mornings, i can't shower at night!” 

It wasn't fair. The rest of us had come to grips with the closeness of our missions and goals and hopes and dreams and NAKED BODIES IN THE SAME ROOM, except for Lance. Fucking Lance. 

And the worst part was that if i was being truly honest with myself… it didn't matter to anyone else at all what Lance chose to do with his sweaty self after a long day of training. So long as he showed up clean the next morning (which he always did) no one else was bothered. 

And here i was. Sopping wet, towel wrapped around my waist, and disgustingly curious to know what the rest of Lance looked like. 

 

………………..

 

It was one of the toughest missions we’d been on as far as landscapes went. Muddy, murky, stagnant water lapping at our thighs as they waded through a jungle of foreign trees and bugs trying to find a civilization that had been overlooked by the enemy. Apparently--according to Allura who had stayed back at the castle to keep watch-- this wasn't a very intelligent race. They remained stuck in a period of time where higher brain function may or may not have just started to develope, and judging by their home i couldn't disagree. 

Water had managed to seep through the fabric parts of my suit, and it was hot and chaffing and nothing felt like it was sitting right at this point. Not even the fingerless gloves UNDER the gloves of my suit had managed to stay dry. I scowled, and hoped to whatever higher power their was out there in the Universe that we’d never, EVER have to come back here. 

Six hours of struggling our way to the tiny village that belonged to the creatures we were trying to communicate with, and in the end not even our technology was enough to prove worth it. They had no resources, no information, not even a chief or leader to their pitifully small collection of frog-people. We couldn't communicate. No one gave us the time of day, even if they COULD have talked to us they were standoffish and fearful and--to my surprise-- deaf.   
Allura hadn't mentioned that they were deaf (she probably didn't know) and so we all figured that Zarkon had truly just left this miserable planet alone do to the fact that in no way shape or form would it be any harm. 

It was less of a trek back the way we came because our lions--bless them-- had been following behind us as best they could for the majority of the way there. The dense forest and bog and chance of the lions scaring off the creatures had put us on foot, but at the very least they were there to pick us up on the way back. I couldn't explain the swell of relief in my chest when i climbed up the familiar ramp into Red’s mouth, and found my captain's chair.

I sat there for a long moment, helmet off and breathing evenly, eyes closed and head back and Red preparing to launch by himself because right now i just needed a moment. A snide, dull feeling that wasn't my own rolled through my veins and in the mix of exhaustion and relief i managed a tiny, private smile. I’d never be able to explain how i knew what Red was saying to me, but it was obvious that he thought i smelt awful. And… well he wasn't wrong. 

“Quiet, you.” I snorted, and reached for my helmet. 

 

…………………….

 

Back in the castle the five of us landed and dragged our sorry asses back to the meeting room like we usually did after a mission. There was nothing to particularly report, and Allura didn't bother asking us how we felt about it all because no one--not even Lance was smiling. Pidge was half asleep standing there, her glasses smeared and her cheeks flushed like she was cold from the sudden change in atmosphere (not uncommon for her). Out of everyone, she was the most clean, but had exerted the most energy because she had chosen to use trees to her advantage while the rest of us were in the mud.

Shiro was disheveled, but dry looking to say the least. He didn't have much to say, and shot warning looks to anyone who may tried to comment on how there was blood staining his right thigh. It wasn't the worst anyone had seen, but obviously something that needed to be bandaged. He’d been the only one to get scathed today, and by the looks of it he wasn't too thrilled with himself. 

Hunk was Hunk, stomach growling and complaining about when they would get to eat and how badly he just wanted to order a pizza. Earth pizza. I couldn't disagree, despite myself. 

The thought was shaken from my mind quickly, when Allura dismissed us and everyone turned instantly. I blinked, pulling my bare-- yes I’d taken my gloves off-- hands up to my face and pushing my greasy, knotted hair out of my eyes.

“Gross.” I mumbled. 

“Agreed.” Pidge frowned, scratching at a patch of dried mud on her elbow. We all smelt horrendous. “I can’t wait to shower.”

“It’s going to feel so good.” Shiro added. 

“And the sooner we shower the sooner we can eat.” Hunk rubbed his large stomach in longing. 

“Yeah, well, you guys have fun alright, I--

“Lance.” I turned, suddenly, all the previous frustrations about showering flooding my mind and prickling under my skin. “You are NOT going to blow off showering tonight.” 

He, out of everyone, was the worst mess. Mud and green slime stuck in his hair and his clothes stained brown from when he majestically leap across a log and went about six feet into the bog. We’d all had to stop and haul him out before he sunk away forever, but then regretted it because whatever had been down there had been more foul and putrid than anyone else had ever smelt. Lance had been batting away negative comments all day after that. 

“N--Not tonight.” Lance, caught off guard by the sudden outburst, furrowed. “I’ll just let you guys go first, yah know-- you should thank me for not taking up more of the hot water and--

“Lance.” Shiro, with his ultimate Dad voice, cut him off. Pidge and Hunk kept walking away, completely unphased by another argument between the two of us. 

“What!?” The blue Paladin threw his arms up and out and flailed a little. “What does it matter to you, anyways!?”

“You stink.” Shiro said almost too calmly. 

“YEAH I KNOW. You guys have been reminding me all fucking da--

“So go shower!” I gestured down the hall towards the door leading into the round shower room.

Lance, for once in his life, was at a loss for words. Standing there with his shoulders tight and his skinny eyebrows knitted together and face set in a solid glare. He was, honestly… mad? What the fuck was wrong with this guy!? It wasn't as if we suggested he go get himself sucked into a wormhole (not that I’d never suggested that before). 

“There is no waiting this time, man.” Shiro started walking again, and there was the tiniest limp in his step that i couldn't help but notice. Part of me wanted to follow him, to pull Lance along so that Shiro could keep insisting because--right now it didn't seem like his words had quite gotten through. Lance stayed in one spot, arms crossed mirroring my own. The scent coming off of him was making it hard to breathe.

I turned to look at him after Shiro was far enough away not to hear us bicker. Honestly he was too tired for it, even I could see that. It seemed only right to let him go get cleaned up himself-- to worry about Lance on my own.

“You’re going to drag that stench all over the castle if you don’t do somethi--

“I know.” He growled, very low under his breath, and i realized now that he was trembling. “I’ll stand in one spot until you guys are done, then I’ll--

“Why can’t you just shower with the rest of us!?” 

He looked away, furiously and for the love of Voltron I swear that something resembling a deep blush rolled up his neck and into his cheeks. I blinked, shocked and wondering if this could possibly be real. Was he truly so embarrassed that even the thought of being nude in same room as us set him on edge?

Slowly, very slowly a smile crept itself into place across my face, and I knew that it was probably not the time nor the place to be pointing fingers at other people's insecurities… but this was just too good to be true. “Lance McClain, are you…. Embarrassed?”

“No!” He insisted instantly. “Why would I be embarrassed, if anyone it would be you who would be embarrassed because you’d have to stand in the presence of my awesome body!”

I snorted a laugh, because his face was cherry red even under the coating of mud, and nothing in his voice sounded solid or stable and I--I just couldn't couldn't believe it. Here he was, the cockiest, most arrogant bastard I’d ever met and he was AFRAID to shower with the four people he was closest to.

“Shut UP!” Lance snarled, forcing his face into my personal bubble. And for the time being I couldn't even care. I was laughing-- laughing under my breath and with my eyes mostly-- but still laughing. And it looked like the more i laughed the harder this was for Lance to get a grip on the fact that he was the center of it all. 

“I--I-- Keith! Stop!” He rounded on me, eyes going from angry to desperate, and I did… a little. I was still grinning like a fool… but--

“Alright.” I shoved him lightly in the shoulder, to get his stinking face away from mine. “I’m not laughing anymore. Let’s go.”

“Keith!” He stayed planted to his spot. “N--No.”

“You're afraid.” I sneered. “Afraid of water?” Even though i knew he wasn't. Lance had grown up on the beach. He knew how to surf for fucks sake.

He shook his head, eyes shiny and tired and miserable and… okay maybe i was taking things too far. I forced my smile away once and for all. “Lance, why don’t you just tell me what the hell you're so worried about?”

He stood, silent and caught in this emotional corner that I couldn't understand. If Pidge could move on after having us all convinced that she was a boy-- if she could shower with us then what could Lance possibly have to worry about? Maybe he thought he was too skinny or something? Oh though I’d seen him in nothing but a tanktop and boxers before, stumbling to the kitchen in the middle of the night to get food and… his body had not been offensive in any way. Lanky, sure. But I wouldn't call it skinny. He had strong forearms with a few noticeable veins that stuck out, and toned biceps and defined collar bone… and…

I stopped that train of thought before it could go anywhere important, and shook myself back to the reality that was this Lance standing next to me with his one hand rubbing up his other arm and his face turned away still red and his stench still filling the air.

“I just… don’t want you guys to see me naked.” He said, finally, a deep pout set in his jawline that made me worry.

“You're not actually a girl right? Because how ironic would that be?” I said. 

“No.” 

I couldn't figure it out, and it irritated me like the mud clinging to my entire body. 

“You truly are just that shy?” 

There had to be something else, and as the silence dragged on between us I couldn't help but think about forcefully dragging his ass into the showers. It would be easier than talking probably. But since I was sore and tired from today's mission i pushed it out of my head. Allura wouldn't find us physically fighting amusing either. She’d probably be totally pissed.

Just when i was about to give up and turn away from him to go shower and not think about this anymore for the rest of our lives because it was stupid-- Lance spoke up. 

“I… I’ll go with you.”

I tilted my chin up and perched my lips, wondering why it had taken so long for him to come to this conclusion. 

“Only you.”

Oh. 

Suddenly there was something else floating around in the space between us, and it wasn't the usual anxiety that filled my head, or the irritation that Lance brought upon me… or even the impulsive need to bicker with him. No this was suddenly very different. This was Lance about to share something with ME that no one else on this ship had ever seen before. Something he obviously wasn't proud of. Maybe he had two dicks, or a butt mole, or awful tan lines? I didn't know, but all i could think was that this was a pretty big victory in my opinion.

We didn't have to wait long for the large, round room to be cleared out since we had taken so long arguing with each other. Hunk and Pidge and Shiro had already scrubbed their filth away and changed into comfortable clothes for dinner. The only thing left of them was their suits in a pile by the door, and the lingering steam.

“After you.” I said flatly, making sure to close and lock the shower-room door behind us. 

If i didn't know any better, I would say that Lance was trembling. 

 

………………..

 

He took his time stripping down into nothing behind me as I played with my usual faucet head trying to get the temperature just right. I liked it hot-- hotter than anyone else i think-- but there was a fine line between that and scalding. I held my hand under it for a few minutes until it finally seemed right, and then stepped away to finish undressing. 

Lance had gotten down to his boxers before stopping, arms crossed and legs pinned a little too tightly together where he stood. 

“You're using my showerhead.” He scowled, eyes flickering to the second one, the only one that was turned on at this point.

“That’s the one i always use.” I snapped, reaching around to unzip the black suit under the armor we wore on missions. I could feel the zipper sticking at an odd angle. 

Lance stood there, surprisingly silent and judging me harshly for what seemed like an eternity. I grunted, trying to yank it down in several different ways before letting my tired arms fall at my sides with a frustrated sigh. “I’ll let you use MY showerhead, if you help me get out of this thing.”

Lance’s hard expression turned into something much more snide and jeering,and it took more effort than it was worth to turn around and back up towards him. The zipper was stuck and this was the kind of thing that Shiro or Pidge or Hunk wouldn't think twice about helping each other out with. Lance though-- Lance had to make everything worse than it always was.

“The great Keith, asking for my help.” He chuckled, reaching out to take the zipper and only the zipper, into his hand. He gave it a tug, pulling the material against my neck uncomfortably. It was stuck. 

“Well apparently you you’re useless.” I folded my arms, hoping my hot water wouldn't run out before this whole ordeal was over.

“You got that green slime all junked up in there.” Lance placed his empty palm flat against my shoulder and the unexpected feeling of his knuckles playing at nape of my neck made me shiver. He brushed my hair out of the way. “It’s all in your mullet too.”

I couldn't say anything. Just stare down at the blue-grey tile floor and hope that Lance couldn't feel the sudden rush of blood pulling into my cheeks. Maybe it was just the steam from the shower but--

The zipper finally gave way, jerking down between my shoulder blades to the small of my back where Lance’s hand slowed. I waited, positive that if he’d let go i would have been able to finish it myself. He didn't, he held it there, silent and awkward and making me want to scream.

“Do you MIND?” I finally hissed. “From what i can tell it’s down isnt it?”

“Yo--You have dimples.”

“WHAT?” I whirled then, pushing him back a step, outraged and embarrassed and completely red-faced. Dimples!? I put my hand on my lower back and rubbed at the two tiny indents, as if that could will them away for the time being. Lance would be the one to point out something so...so feminine and… and--

He was laughing. Laughing at my face and making me feel ridiculous standing there with my suit still hanging on by my shoulders. I growled, reaching up to pull the rest of it off and down my chest. With a blur of anger i stripped, ignoring his presence and thinking that there had to be a better way to have solved this. Maybe a one-on-one shower with him was a stupid idea. It was starting to feel like it.

“T--Theyre so cute! Hahah!” Lance held his stomach as i turned away from him, pulling everything off in one quick movement and throwing it towards the pile the others had left. Cute!? I grit my teeth, hoping that the steam and heat from the shower would calm me down.

“Shut the fuck up.” I snorted, stepping under the sharp spray. It stung a little, which was what i liked. 

“Ahh…” Lance cooed, reaching his arms up and stretching long and luxurious like a cat. I tried to ignore him, the way he rolled his slender arms and then finally, reached down to grab the waistband of his boxers. I closed my eyes, tipping my face back into the water until it weighed my hair down flat against my neck.

“This isn't so bad after all.” Lance spoke, though there was an edge to his voice now that he was completely nude. I was still trying not to look, but it wasn't that difficult. The water felt nice, drumming hard on my shoulders and face and releasing a world of tension built up from the day. I sagged a little, let out a small hum of approval, enjoyed the familiar sound of water on tile and forgot all about the Blue Paladin being in the general same space as me. 

“Keith.”

And it was over. 

My eyes fluttered open, and i sighed. “What?”

“You're using my showerhead.”

“Whatever, loser. Pick a different one.” 

I could feel him glaring at me-- not quite as harshly has he had in the past when he was furious or annoyed or disturbed by the comebacks or insults I’d thrown at him. More like a deep thrumming… an itch sitting between my shoulderblades and lower… and

“I’ll just share this one with you.” 

“Wh--What!?” I jerked away as his bare shoulder bumped mine, and he suddenly was invading half of the water that I had claimed for myself. He flinched a little, and his hand reached out towards the faucet.

I slapped it away.  
“Lance!” 

“What!? You're the one who was so desperate to shower with me.” He chirped, and I realized that i had no fucking clue what we were doing anymore. How could he seem so embarrassed about showering with everyone else, but be his usual bold and annoying self with just me here? And WHY of all things was he THIS fucking CLOSE?

“Don’t touch the faucet.” I insisted. “It isn't easy to get it perfect.”

“It’s too hot.” He growled, shifting. 

“Then GO STAND OVER THERE!” I gave him a small shove towards the faucet to my right. Shiro’s faucet. He teetered away from a second-- and i made the mistake of looking at his entire body. His back, his slim hips his wide but delicate shoulders…

I tore my eyes away, shaking my hair out and standing completely under the water again. How could i be thinking this way? How could i possibly think that Lance of all people was… attractive in his naked glory? He wasn't attractive with his clothes on so… what was the big deal? 

Or maybe… maybe he was attractive and it was just a hell of a lot easier to ignore when he was wearing that old faded jacket with the broken zipper. Or a suit that matched everyone else's and covered a vast majority of his tanned skin. I shifted, suddenly too hot for the spray of water rushing down on me. Without thinking i reached for the faucet and turned it down a little bit.  
And then he was back at my side, my eyes popping open wide in astonishment. What the everloving FUCK WAS HIS PRO--

“Thanks.” he bumped me with his stupid tanned shoulder until i couldn't stand it anymore. I whirled, turning away from him to go to my own fucking shower head because he was such a goddamn baby when it came to things like this. 

“Wait. Keith.” 

A hand. Suddenly. Gripping my wrist. 

“I’ll share. Cmon stand here with me.”

It made no sense. Not how he had acted before or how he was acting now. Not how i couldn't bring myself to look anywhere else besides down his chest and stomach and… and i figured it would be worse to try and meet his eyes but… staring at his dick? I shivered, bangs heavy and in my eyes and chin tilted down, trying not to punch him in the throat just because he was…

“Please?”

Being ridiculous. 

I took a deep breath. “Lance.”

But there was nothing else to say. He had won somehow, his lithe body next to mine and the water hitting mostly me as if he had used that as some kind of tactic. It was still warm, and comfortable, and as much as i hated to admit it so was knowing that he didn't mind being this close. I was under the impression that showering was too persona for this idiot, but it seemed like--like everything else about Lance-- there was no boundary. 

“Why didn't you want to shower with everyone else?” I finally said, eyes closed as he reached away from me for a moment, snagging the bottle of blue bodywash and the pouf that i normally used. A small flash of irritation set through me at the idea of him rubbing it all over his body. Didn't he have his own?

He was quiet, popping the cap and squeezing a generous amount onto the red sponge. The slightly blush returned to his face, and it took all i had not to punch him back to reality. There was absolutely nothing to be worried about!? We all showered together. He was naked now, there was nothing--

“Shiro.” He finally began, eyes turned down shamefully. “I don't know. I guess-- I saw Shiro’s… you know.”

“I don’t understand?” I blinked, eyebrows pulled together in frustration.

Lance, holding the soapy pouf in his hands and not making an effort to scrub himself finally let out a low snort. He looked up, muttering something in spanish that i didn't quite catch, and then looking at me directly. His blue eyes were intense.

“He’s got a huge dick.” 

I almost choked.

“He has this huge, perfect cock and I just-- I hate the idea of that in comparison t--to me you know?”

I couldn't help it. I stared, again, down at his lean body and his hips and the way he seemed to stand with a permanent slouch-- maybe he has slight scoliosis? It wasn't that noticeable. I made a small noise, a hum of consideration as i took in the presence of HIS dick. Since we were talking about it, i figured it couldn't be inappropriate to stare.   
“Y--you're not.” I began, making a motion in mid air as if to explain myself. “It’s not…”

He was blushing hard then, shifting from foot to foot and fidgeting with the pouf in his hands as if it was holding him together. “Not that… impressive.”

“But it’s not like anyone actually cares.” 

“I care.”

I shook my head, finding it hard to believe that we were in a fucking flying castle in the middle of some galaxy where we were fighting with giant robot lions and THIS was what Lance was worried about on a day-to-day basis. The size of his dick compared to the rest of us. 

“It’s not small.” I shrugged, finally able to turn away from him. “It’s just average, and Shiro is above average.”

“Then you're above average.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore the sudden tingling in my lower stomach and the way that i knew he was staring now, comparing me to him. It shouldn't MATTER, not that much… but i couldn't help it. I felt a tiny swell of satisfaction and nervousness all at once. This was so awkward. Unbearably so-- but…

“Thank you?” So what if i was a little more than pleased to know that my dick was bigger than Lance McClain’s? 

Lance let out a moan of disapproval. “And Hunk is--

“Hunk hides himself from us when he showers anyways.” I cut him off. “Seriously, Lance you shouldn't have anything to be ashamed of. Y--You're probably just a grower, not a shower.”

He didn't respond right away, just turned to be standing a little bit behind me as i tipped my face up to meet the water spraying down. My body still felt a little odd with him there in my space, and knowing that he had taken an eye-full of me meant that there really was no secrets from here.

I began threading my fingers through the back of my knotted hair in hopes to detangle it a little before shampooing, but found it a hopeless idea. The green goo at the back of my neck was still there, almost as if it was oil-based and water couldn't wash it away. 

“Want me to wash your back?” Lance, who was still standing just a little bit behind me, offered after what seemed like a suspiciously long moment. Had he been staring at my backside? I frowned. 

“Not especially.” 

“Well i don’t know that you're going to be able to reach all this gunk.” He mused, and without my approval he pushed the red pouf he was still holding to my lower back. I flinched, almost hard enough to jerk away from him and insist he let me do it myself.

But then his hand was on my shoulder again and his movements seemed thoughtful and the softness of the suds rolling down my ass and the back of my thighs was nice. I sighed, decided that this was it. There was no arguing with Lance anyways, and relaxed into the slow circles he was pushing just above the dimples he pointed out earlier. 

“See that’s not so bad.” He said after moving upwards to my shoulder blades and neck. “I wash your back, you wash mine.”

“Whatever you say.” I answered too quickly, not thinking that he meant those words quite literally. I swallowed, blinking my eyes open and trying to focus on the water rather than the hot coil beginning to form in my stomach. A slow burn of understanding started to bubble up and rise inside of me. The idea of him behind me, his long fingers holding to my shoulder, lingering there maybe a little too long. The other hand pushing the suds around my side now. On my hip and then up towards my ribcage.

“L--Lance.” I breathed, oh though it meant to come out more like concern than mild comfort. 

“Hmm?” He made a noise, maybe a little unsure of what to say. Maybe expecting me to say something else or turn to face him or whatever. He took both his hands back and i could tell he was shifting from one foot to another.

“So what are you, Keith?”

“What?” I looked back just a little, to see him blushing hard and-- God that face.

“A shower or a grower?”

I swallowed, and it felt like it went all the way from my throat down to the pit of my stomach. What was I? I wasn't sure. I hadn't ever had anyone else to judge in that particular situation. I had only said that to Lance before because he seemed genuinely upset over it and that was an expression that made sense. At least… He probably WAS a grower because he didn't have much to show. 

Not that he was small. No. Just… painfully average. 

Me on the other hand. I looked down at myself as if i was seeing my dick for the first time. Really it shouldn't be that hard of a question. I was probably more on the average spectrum as well… but i was a little longer than Lance was. A little thicker too.

“Yes?” I finally managed, and I couldn't believe it. The way he laughed behind me. So light and unconcerned as if this whole thing was just easy and not totally embarrassing.

“Maybe I’m bigger than you are when I’m hard.” Lance chimed, oh though there was no real challenge to his voice. 

“I doubt it.” I smirked.

“Oh yeah?”

There it was. There was the challenge I was expecting. The stupid rivalry between us that apparently extended to our dick sizes. I tingled, everywhere. “Well what are you going to do? Get an erection just to prove me wrong?”

“You’d have to get an erection to prove ME wrong too.”

Well i couldn't really argue with that.

“That’s not happening.” I tried to sound nonchalant. Tried to sound like i wasn't already willing the blood away from my lower half and back to my brain. “We need to get clean and then meet the others for dinner.”

“Tsk.” Lance made a noise, but didn't really argue any further. There was a small hint of relief in his voice if i didn't know any better. And the reality of it was that it was true. Any longer and Shiro and the rest of them would start to wonder what was happening.

“Whatever. Scooch over.” Lance said, holding out the pouf he’d used to scrub my back with. I took it from him, figuring it would probably be easier to stand here naked and not think about our dick sizes when i didn't have to look at his. He placed himself more in front of me, and then leaned down to reach for the bottle of body wash again.

I tore my eyes away from his backside before i could see anything that would really ruin the situation. My face felt hot again, and it took all my willpower not to lean down and catch the nape of his neck with my lips and kiss him. Let my hands flutter up his ribs, landing on his pectorals and thumbs grazing his nipples before slowly making their way back down to his hips.

“Keith?”

I blinked.

“Keith, here!” the bottle was jabbed in my face then, breaking down all sexual and inappropriate thoughts ravishing my mind. I was glad he didn't turn completely around when he spoke to me, because he definitely would have seen that at this point i was not quite flaccid anymore. I groaned internally, scolding myself and the stupid mistake i had made in wanting Lance to shower with us--with ME-- so badly. 

I said nothing to him as I began to lather up the same red pouf he’d used on me, and began to scrub along his shoulders.

It felt like this was never going to end.

 

…………………………..

 

Showering after that day was never quite the same. I didn't enjoy the familiar feel of the dark tiles and steamy water and blue lights trailing the ceiling like i had before. I didn't stand second in line next to Shiro wondering why he couldn't use anything else besides bar soap to get clean. I didn't glance at Hunk to see if he was still shying away from the rest of us even though no one really cared. I didn't argue with myself and with Lance about why he was such a big baby. 

Mostly because i showered with him now. Usually after the other three Paladins were finished and gone to change or to dinner together. We would stand, a little awkward but more than comfortable in the space. His hands and my hands and body wash on our backs. 

We talked. Talked about missions and training and about the others and how forming Voltron was getting easier all the time. Sometimes Lance would sing quietly to himself, in English or Spanish or a combination of both. I never knew the songs, but i knew that i liked his voice. I grew to enjoy the sounds vibrating off the tile with the water washing away down the drains to eventually be sucked into space.

It was always warm. His shoulder bumping mine or his hands or the snide comments he made about the dimples on my lower back. I started to think that this was the most raw, intimate way to bond with someone, and that with Lance… I wouldn't have it any other way. 

And really it was okay for a while. I had counted a solid week in my head of feeling perfectly normal in the presence of him, not worrying over what he was thinking or what i was feeling. The urge and heat coiled up in my lower stomach never became so strong that i couldn't push it away. The sidelong glances at him standing beside me, hands scrubbing through his short brown hair, never seemed to draw any particular attention back to me. Lance was happy. Happy and clean and he didn't have any weird tan-lines or buttmoles that i had thought about before (oh though he didn't have a few random freckles on his chest and shoulder blades that made me weak if i stared to long).

 

……………………..

 

It wasn't until a month or so later that our new routine changed. And it was under the circumstances that I was-- furiously-- thrashing about in the arms of my teammates trying to control the fire burning inside of me because there was a large silver knife plunged deep into my abdomen. 

We’d gone down to a planet that had been peaceful up until just recently. The Galra had apparently overlooked its small size in their quest to conquer all of the galaxy at first, but then perhaps on behalf of us freeing planets from them, they decided to go back and claim it. Allura had spoken of the creatures that lived on this particular planet and how they had impeccable camouflage skills, saying that it wouldn't be easy to FIND them amongst the thick, woody forest they lived in. Nevertheless though we couldn't leave their home to be destroyed either way, and it had felt like a pretty obvious effort to get another race of alien on our side in the process of taking down a Galra fleet. 

Two birds, one stone. That’s what Shiro had said.

What we hadn't anticipated from the event of trying to protect this colony of aliens from the invasion was that the species was more than capable of defending themselves to some extent. They were tall, reptilian, and rippling with muscle and scales that faded in and out of color depending on their surroundings. They breathed underwater as well as normal oxygen. They had six fingers and toes and long hooked claws and tails like whips. They knew how to mold sharp knives and where experts at throwing them. “They have potential” I had thought almost instantly, wondering if they would make strong warriors in our quest to stop Zarkon. 

And then things had gone wrong. Of course. 

The race of aliens wasn't friendly towards us in the slightest, and while they were no match for our lions, they put up one hell of a fight in hand to hand combat. I shouldn't have gotten close enough to figure this one out, however to be fair Allura had said to try and woo the creatures before we left their planet. The Galra fleet had been easy enough to take down; they fled rather quickly once they were outnumbered. I just happened to be the first one to touch down on the earth and stumble out of my lion, waiting for the others.

And just like that there had been a knife in my abdomen. The nearly invisible creatures were there, treating us like the enemy probably because they didn't understand who we were at all. And i guess i couldn't blame them for that. I sure as hell was pissed about it though. What a miserable excuse of a Paladin was i to let my guard down just because the Galra had dispatched. It was… something Hunk or Lance might do in the afterglow of victory… but not me.

Yet here i was, furious and bleeding out with Shiro nearly dragging me along to the medical bay where they would stuff me in a healing pod who fuck knows how long. 

“Lance, go get Coran. Pidge-- take his--

I yanked my bayard away from her, ignoring the searing, head-spinning pain swallowing me. “I’m FINE--

I broke off in a sputtering, coughing until I was wheezing and blood was bubbling up my throat. All i could think was how did they have such GOOD AIM. How did they have such accuracy. Our suits covered about percent of our vital organs and somehow they'd managed to hit one of mine.

“LANCE GO!” I hadn't even realized that the blue paladin was still moving with us, eyes wide and hands trembling and… and something more than concern in his eyes. I got the impression-- even through the haze making it hard to keep my eyes open-- that Shiro was sending Lance away for another reason than just to get Coran. After all, Allura had known we were coming back.

The last thing i remembered was Shiro holding one side of me down on a table, Coran on the other, Pidge at my feet (oh though she didn't have much weight to offer), and the sting of a needle going into my chest. Allura was speaking almost too quickly to understand.

“We have to get that knife out before we put him in the pod-- Hurry before the skin grows over it.”

Grows over? I had enough sense to know that that couldn't be right. That there was no way that my skin would grow over an eight inch knife anytime soon. And yet it seemed totally acceptable just the same. 

“Keith.” It was Shiro who was taking now, as i gasped and coughed and choked on the blood. They couldn't keep me on my back like this-- I would drown. I couldn't bring the words to my lips however hard i tried. “Keith, i’m sorry.” He insisted, eyes wide like saucers and robotic arm squeezing down harder at my wrist. His weight shifted so that his torso was leaning onto my shoulder, and then finally, his free hand gripped the knife that the creatures had thrown.

And i screamed. 

Screamed loud enough that it echoed off the castle walls and into the ears of my teammates and.... And then everything was black.

 

………………..

 

Lance was waiting for me when i came out of the pod, and unlike him when he usually came out, i was rock solid steady. I didn't wobble or fall towards him. I simply opened my eyes, feeling like i had slept for a million years and yet the irritation and frustration with myself had not subsided. 

“Keith! Buddy!” Lance jerked forward, gripping my shoulders with both his long hands and smiling that doofy smile. His dark blue eyes sparkled with relief. 

“How long was I out?” I grumped. 

“Haha… twenty-two hours and…” He glanced at a the ticker clipped to his hip. “Forty-ish ticks.”

“Great.” I said, annoyance settling deeper into my veins. Twenty-two hours of time i wouldn't be able to get back. Time i could have been training with my teammates. It was worse that they were waiting for ME.

“Keith.” Lance said, hands still on my shoulders. I could tell by the way he spoke that it wasn't a question. It was like he was just saying my name… just to say it. Had they really thought that i was going to die? I found it hard to believe. 

“I’m gonna hug you.”

“What?” It was my first reaction to pull away, but I didn't. Because his lanky arms were around my neck then and his face was tucked into my shoulder, and he was still smiling. And i wasn't moving. Frozen in space with my arms at my sides and my toes cold on the marble floor and… and the irritation suddenly vanishing. It faded and dissipated in the same way that the robots we fought in the training room did when we defeated them. I didn't know why.

“You stink.” I said, finally. Because there was nothing else i could think of to say. And well… it was true. His hair was sticky and greasy and there was a familiar sweat smell coming off of him. 

He pulled back then, unphased by the insult. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up, stupid.”

I rolled my eyes. And that was when things changed.

 

………………..

 

It wasn't easy to stand next to Lance under the spray of the shower anymore. Because instead of him singing or whistling or talking my ear off like normally, he was quiet and throwing glances my way. He was rubbing his chest and abs and ribs and upper thighs with body wash and there was something nervous about his movements. Normally by this point he would have turned to me and offered to scrub my back, but he didn't. He kept his eyes focused and concentrated and every once in awhile his lip would twitch as if he was going to say something but couldn't get it to come out.

I watched, disoriented and lathering shampoo through my hair and fussing around the tangles that my fingers got themselves into There was still blood in my hair that no one had bothered (or more likely didn't notice) to clean up before they stuffed me in the healing pod. It stained the water red as it washed away.

Lance shuffled next to me when i bent over to scrub my hands through the back of my hair and rinse everything out.

“Keith.” He’s murmured again in the same way he’d done when i first came out of the pod. Part of me wanted to turn on him, to sock him in the jaw and tell him that i was FINE. I wasn't DYING. And he needed to stop making this WEIRD. 

“What?” I said instead, flipping my hair back in one movement and staring at him.

He peeked at me, eyes sitting above pink cheeks. “I’ll wash your back.” 

My face flushed. And this time i had a sinking feeling as to why. 

 

……………..

 

Gentle touches, lingering eyes, careful movements in the training room. It was no wonder the other Paladins started talking. Our bickering was less and less obvious, and replaced enormously by silent stupid grins and quiet laughter, usually inaudible coming from me. Lance said i “laughed with my eyes” and I hated the idea of him paying that close attention to my face after he did something to make me amused. 

Pidge had said something in passing once, while Lance and I walked back to our rooms in shorts and tshirts that were-- to neither of our knowledge-- each others. Lance was wearing black, which was generic enough it could have been one of Shiro’s, but I guess i had given it away. I had thrown on what i thought was a plain white Tshirt fresh out of the laundry pile, only to discover it had blue trim around the neck and short sleeves and… How had i not put two and two together?

Pidge had snorted, murmuring about “bonding” and then skipped off with a part to a computer she had been trying to pry information from since we got back from the last planet. Lance had blushed. And I had blushed, and then as soon as no one was around to look at us, we both made a show of ripping our shirts off and throwing them in each others faces.

My black tshirt was warm and smelled of Lance when i slipped it over my head, and a shiver rolled up my spine. He looked even redder in the face when he pulled his on, and only smirked awkwardly to try to cover it up.

“Whatever.” I shoved him in the shoulder, and turned to step into my bedroom. This time it wasn't just my eyes that were smiling. 

 

…………………………….

 

Lance was rubbing my back. Not scrubbing. No. Not as in we were showering together and it was something that we had just decided to do as a routine. No. He was rubbing my back because he had gone on and on about how his aunt was a massage therapist and how he could tell that i was “tense” and needed to relax. We’d already showered, his hands had already been on my shoulders and lower back once this evening. I was clean and he smelt like fucking lavender or something-- I didn't know. All i knew was that I was lying face down on his mattress shirtless, and his thumbs and knuckles kept digging into spots that i hadn’t even know were sore.   
And it felt good. It was warm and his hands were strong and his fingers were soft and no amount of silence could make it awkward between us at this point. He rubbed my back like that for at least a half hour, making tiny little breathy noises when he could feel the knots and worked to unravel them beneath my skin. Every now and again i got the urge to suddenly fall asleep, but would give myself a tiny shake when my eyes shut completely and remind myself that this was not my room.

Eventually his hands slowed, shifting gears from hard, pressing movements to long and slow strokes across the whole length of my torso. His fingertips trailed along my ribs, up my spine. First all four fingers, then three, then two, and then one. Twirling and dancing down my back until i was wide awake and goosebumps were covering the majority of my skin. Part of me hoped he wouldn't notice, and the other part of me was just glad that i was laying on my stomach, hiding the very small and innocent… erection that i had begun to develop. 

I bit my lip and his one finger turned into two again, featherlight touches along the small of my back, gently swooping into the two tiny indents there above my pantline. My breath hitched.

“Stupid dimples.” Lance said so softly I thought that he either hadn't meant to say it, or I totally imagined it. Either way it felt like my whole body was beginning to burn again. Combined with the sound of his voice in a whisper and the smell of him all around me and his hand--Goddammit his fingertips. 

Suddenly, completely unaware of what i intended to do with myself in this situation, I jolted upright. Lifting my body easily off his bed and reaching out to the swivel-chair in the room where my discarded shirt had been tossed before this whole thing even began. My face was red, palms sweaty and heart thundering in my chest. I had to get out. I had to.

And so i did. 

“Keith!” Lance yelled pitifully after me as i threw the shirt over my head and ran back into the hallway. Down the hallway. Praying no one would see the tent in my pants. Stopping only once i got to the door to my room and setting the lock before i threw myself on my bed, smothered my face in my pillow, and wondered when. In. The. HELL. Had I fallen in love with Lance McClain? 

 

……………………………….

 

He’d avoided me at first, face looking pale and shameful after the event in his bedroom. It took three days of not speaking to each other unless we had to, snapping at each other over stupid things, and Shiro giving us disapproving Dad looks before Lance finally started to shift back into his older ways. He would throw his head back and laugh, smile at me as if nothing happened, bounce his leg in that nervous-habit when he was sitting down. It all looked like things were going back to normal, and i couldn't say that i wasn't relieved… but something pulled and ached at my heart and no amount of willing it away would solve anything.

Lance didn't shower with me. In fact, he didn't shower with anyone again. He slipped silently back into his routine of eating dinner with us and then going to shower and then going to bed. And it hurt. Hurt in a similar way that it hurt when Shiro had disappeared out of my life unexpectedly. Hurt like when my foster parents who I had only been with a few months passed me along to someone else. Hurt when the class at the Garrison turned their nose up at me because I was cold and standoffish and… they didn't understand that I wasn’t trying to be the way I was. I just was.

Like the knife that had been jabbed into my abdomen and twisted out, Lance cut through me. Through the layers of skin and muscle and bone all the way down to shake my very core. Seeing him in the hallway made me ache. Seeing him with Hunk and Pidge laughing made me feel like an outcast. Seeing him helping Coran and flirting with Allura made it hard to breathe. Everything, so suddenly felt wrong.

We were stumbling through the castle after a long recovery mission on a planet full of rocks and lava when i decided that if I was ever going to get over it I would have to conquer it first. My face was covered in ash in the places my helmet hadn't protected, and i smelt similar to that of a campfire that had been put out with bleach. And yet, somehow, when Pidge, Shiro, and Hunk sauntered off to shower I stopped, stayed back and waited. 

Lance paused, not speaking but breathing heavy enough that i could hear him a few feet away. He hadn't done much on this mission despite his usual, unpredictable ideas, but had still managed to create a huge mess of himself. The five minutes we spent outside of our lions while Allura talked to the species of alien we met, Lance had managed to slip on a grimey, putrid black sludge. It was perhaps the comical thing I had ever seen, and yet i couldn't bring myself to laugh. Coran informed us on the way back that it was giant-alien-bird-shit. And nope. I still hadn't laughed. Not even when everyone had.

“Do you want to shower?” I choked on the words before Lance could make the decision to walk away from me. My eyes were tilted downwards, probably reflecting some type of shame like his had for the few days after I ran out on him. This was hard for me. Thinking that if i could get him to shower with me we could go back to the friendship we had developed before I started feeling stupid THINGS for him. I encouraged myself that if i could only heal the wounded part of my heart, i would have enough strength to stop the wanting that came from within it.

“Y--Yeah.” He huffed, and it almost sounded like he laughed. 

 

…………………………..

 

Something broke. Somewhere between him lathering his own body and me lathering his back carefully. I had been focusing on only the task at hand. As he scrubbed his fingernails with a hard loofah-like sponge I was gently rubbing away any trace of dirt or grime that had managed to stick to him. It was going well. I had been completely in control of my emotion and my young adult hormones. I had even begun to feel better. Like this was a successful attempt at mending the break i had so rudely caused. 

And then Lance shifted awkwardly, rolling one shoulder back and straining his neck up until it popped. He winced, let out a short hum of disapproval, and it was so obvious that there was a kink somewhere along his shoulders that I just… couldn't really help myself. 

I was no massage therapist. I didn't have an aunt who had studied countless hours of anatomy, complaining around me so that I would pick up on some of the information. I didn't know the first thing about kneading a knot out of someone-- and yet i stilled pressed my palm flat against the top of his spine. I curled my hand around his neck, squeezed it gently. Pulling and releasing and pulling and releasing like I remembered he had done to me.

And then he turned, eyes glazed over at the knowledge of what i was doing and making me stop all together.

“S--Sorry I--

“Keith.” He breathed. Chewed his lower lip for a moment. 

I figured I’d fucked up any chance of things going back to the way they were already. Because my hands and my brain didn't work together apparently. Because when his skin was beneath my palms i had no sense of rationality. 

He looked at me, confused and red-faced and very obviously trying to think of the correct words to say. I figured. What else did I have to lose?

So i kissed him. I stepped forward and brought my arms up, fingers out to take his jaw in my hands. I did it gingerly, giving him plenty of time to pull away if he wanted to. I licked my lips once and closed my eyes and i kissed him. Nothing but a trickle of water streamed between his eyes and down his nose between us. And the delicate way his long hands found my hips, gripping and lingering in a safe area not too close to my buttcheeks made me tremble. I’d given into the feeling of wanting him and there was no going back and no running from it this time.

He let out a low, sexy moan, and opened his mouth and flicked his tongue against mine as if to tease me. So i shoved mine deeper into his mouth until his tongue didn't have a choice but to wriggle around with mine. It was slow and heavy, body too hot and breathing too harsh and I couldn't help but think that Lance kissed like the lava we had witnessed earlier today. Seeping furious and sluggish into my veins, glowing faint under a black sky. 

We broke apart only when both of us realized that things were not going to get any easier if we kept this up. That we were in a pretty public place in castle even though the others had already showered-- they could still walk in on us. I swallowed the taste of his lips as he dipped down to place one very chaste kiss against my temple.

“You’re poking me.” He chuckled, forehead resting against mine.

“Shut up.” I trembled, not daring to open my eyes to see just how far i had betrayed myself. The hot coil in my lower stomach had wound up as tight as it could go, and things were THROBBING between my legs. I swallowed again, mouth suddenly very dry. 

Lance’s hands moved gently up and down my biceps, soothingly. “Well look now or don’t… but…” He cut off. “I think you're definitely a grower, not a shower.” 

My eyes were still squeezed shut, but my lips were curled up at the edges. “A--am I bigger than you?”

“Nope~!” Lance chirped. 

 

…………….

 

I came to find out a week later that YES.

I was bigger than Lance.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys~! Hope you all enjoyed that little drabble down there below. I spent entirely too much time on it but im trash and it was worth it!~!!!
> 
> Your comments would be totally appreciated~! <3 <3 <3


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